Container cap remover



April 1934- T. A. KILLMAN CONTAINER CAP REMOVER Filed March 10, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 3, 1934- T, A. KILLMAN CONTAINER CAP REMOVER Filed March 10, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 1 AS WZ/WQPS.

Patented Apr. 3, 1934 CONTAINER CAP REMOVER Thomas A. Killman, Nashville, Tenn, assignor to Dazey Churn & Mtg. 00., a corporation of Missouri Application March 10,

14 Claims.

This invention relates to container cap removers; and consists of the novel construction hereinafter disclosed.

This application is a continuation, in part, of the application filed by me June 2'7, 1931, Serial l lo. 547,384, for Cap wrench.

An object of the invention is to provide a construction adapted to engage the upper marginal rim of a screw cap for fruit jars, or to engage the rims of container caps commercially known as anchor caps, with a gripping tension of a sufficient magnitude to hold the caps so that they may be manually removed by engaging the container extending below the device, the construction being so arranged as to prevent an engaging tension of a sufficient magnitude to cause a crushing or ole-formation of the cap structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character mentioned which may be conveniently supported in a horizontal position and which may be easily adjusted to engage and hold the cap of the container with a regulated engaging tension, permitting the container to be suspended and held for manual engagement by the operator in order to manipulate the justment, and which may be readily locked and unlocked from clamping adjustment.

Additional advantages of the construction will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view partially in section illustrating the device applied to a screw cap of a commercial fruit jar.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view.

Fig. =1 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of one of the clamping jaws removed from the construction.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the construction is shown as including'a base member 1 which is preferably formed from a casting provided with horizontally spaced cylindrical recesses 2 opening at the back face of the casting and extending forwardly through the casting, the forward ends of the recesses being reduced to form cylindrical openings 3 and a shoulder 4. Below the reduced openings 3 and extending horizontally and transverse- 1932, Serial No. 597,895

ly of the base 1 is a slot 5 which is adapted to receive a jaw plate 6 that is fitted into the slot and held in position by a screw 7 passing vertically from the bottom of the member 1 upwardly and through an opening 8 in the jaw plate 6. The forward edge of the plate 6 is inwardly'inclined from each edge and is provided with serrated portions 9 to form an engaging surface. The base member 1 below the slot supporting the jaw plate is formed with an irregularly shaped recess 10 substantially U-shaped in general contour and adapted to embrace the rim of an anchor cap.

The base 1 is provided on its underface with an integral projection 11 the lower wall of which inclines upwardly from the outer edge. A base plate having its marginal edges extending beyond the walls of the base member 1 is attached to the base member, said base plate including a body member 12 and an inwardly inclined and upwardly deflected extension 13. The extension 13 is adapted to seat against the lower face of the section 11 of the base member and to be secured in place by a screw 14 that passes through said portion and into a threaded opening in the bottom face of the section 11 of the base member. The forward edge of the extension 13 is formed in a V-shape and the lower edge is upwardly beveled to provide a means for engaging a commercial crown cap for containers. The projecting edges of the base plate 12 are arranged to slide into a bracket 15, the bracket 15 preferably being arranged for support on a vertical surface, such as a door jamb or a room wall, so that the base of the device may be removably supported in connection with some rigid or permanent support.

In opposed position in respect of the base sec-' tion, there is a slide member 16 that comprises a casting provided with spaced cylindrical openings 17 extending from the front face and through the body and back face thereof, said openings 17 being spaced, dimensioned and alined with the openings 3 of the base member 1. The slide member 16 is provided with a slot 18 complementary to the slot 5, and is adapted to receive a complement of the jaw plate 6 which is seated in said slot and held in position by a screw 7 in the same manner as the opposed clamping jaw is mounted in the member 1. The member 16 also has, in a complementary position, a recess 10. The member 16 is provided with a vertical opening 19 extending through the slide member near the outer end thereof, said opening being positioned at one side of the longitudinal axis of the member. The lower end of the opening 19. is countersunk to receive the head of a stud 20 that extends through the opening, the head thereof seating in the countersunk portion of the opening 19 and the upper end extending above the top face of the member 16, the extremity of the stud being threaded at 21.

Parallel rods 22, each provided with a head 23 and integrally joined at their outer extremities by a Ushaped connection 24, are mounted so that their free ends are within the recesses 2, the said rods extending through the openings 3 in the base member 1 and through the openings 17 in the slide member 16. Intermediate the head portions 23 of each of the rods 22 and the shoulders 4 formed in the base section are expansion springs 25, the tendency of which is to exert pressure against the heads 23 of the rods 22.

A transverse plate 28 having spaced openings therein is mounted on the spaced rods 22 and is adapted to slide longitudinally in respect thereof. The member 16 has a cylindrical opening 27 eX-' tending inwardly from the front face and positioned on the opposite side of the axis of the member 16 to the side in which the vertical open-' ing 19 is formed, the said opening 27 forming a recess in which a rod 28 provided with a head 29 is mounted. The rod 28 extends rearwardly from the member 16 and projects through an opening in the plate 26, being held in position in respect thereto by a nut 30. Between the head 29 of the rod 28 and the base of the recess 2'7, there is seated a spring 31 which encompasses the portion ,of the rod 28 within the recess 27. The plate 26 35 constitutes a locking device which is manipulated by a'cam in the form of a dished plate 32 mounted on the stud 20 eccentrically with respect to the axis thereof. The cam 32 is actuated by a handle .33 provided at its free end with a manually ensired as a means for moving the slide normally inwardly. This spring 3'? embraces the U-shaped connection 24 and abuts at one end against a collar 38 carried by one of the rods 22, and the free end of the spring bears against the plate 26.

The device is so constructed that it may be economically manufactured and assembled. In assembling the device, the rods 22, which constitute the rails upon which the slide operates, are

' assembled with the slide and base by extending the rods through the plate 26, the slide 16 and into the recesses 2 of the base member. The springs 25 are then mounted over the free ends of the rods 22 and seated in the recesses 2, and the heads 23 pinned or otherwise secured in assembly with the 8 ends of the rods 22. The cam construction, having been assembled, is manipulated to bring the plate 26 to the inclined position illustrated particularly in Fig. 1, which acts first to lock the rods against sliding relation with the slide and then to mechanically move the rods outwardly, placing tension on the springs 25. This manipulation brings the heads 23 within the recesses 2. The base plate is then assembled by engaging the portion 13 thereof in its seat and securing it in position, and the portion 12 of the base plate is then brought flush against the end of the member 1 and secured in position by a screw 39 that passesthrough the plate and into'the body of the member 1.

The device may then be assembled for the performance of its functions by adjusting it in the bracket 15.

The functional operation of the construction is as follows:

After it has been completely assembled for operation, the slide is free to move on the rods 22, as the plate 26, when in its normal position transversely of the rods 22, affords no impediment to the free movement of the slide. The slide is moved to an open position and the upper marginal rim of a fruit jar may now be engaged between the jaw plates 6 with the serrated edges of the jaw plates engaging the metal surface of the rim of the jar cap. As the formation of the engaging edges of the jaws tends to center the jar cap, it will readily assume its proper position. The handle 83, by manual engagement of the knob 34, is then manipulated to bring the high face of the cam disc 32 into engagement with the innerface of the plate 26. As the plate 26 is resiliently restrained from movement on the opposite side of its median line by the tendency of the rod 28 to move inwardly through the agency of the spring 31, the plate is moved to an oblique position and the edges of the openings through the plate 26 will impinge and engage the surfaces of the rods 22, constituting a rigid abutment against the further movement of the cam disc 32 and, at the same time, locking the slide 16 against sliding movement on the rods 22. As the cam disc is further moved, the rods 22 are pulled outwardly against the spring pressure of the springs 25, and thus the tension that may be placed upon the clamping engagements of the jaws with the cap is regulated by the tension of the springs 25, which will be sufiicient to cause an impingement of the jaws against thecap of a sufficient magnitude to firmly hold the cap but, at the same time, to prevent any excessive over-pressm'e, as the springs will tend to yield sufficiently to prevent a positive vise engagement with the cap. Since the jaw in the base is rigid and since, by compressing the springs 25, a resilient tendency to move the rods 22 inwardly is exerted, the rods and the slide locked, to the rods tend to carry the jaw of the clamp carried by the slide toward the rigidly fixed jaw in the base. Thus, the clamping pressure is ultimately the power exerted by the springs 25, and no more. In constructing the device, the strength of the springs is fixed by the service for which the device is to be used.

This regulation of the engaging pressure of the jaws with the cap prevents a crushing of the walls of the cap or the fracture of the usual porcelain lining within the top of the cap.

The functioning of the device in connection with the usual anchor caps, commonly used on preserve jars or the like, is similar to the functioning of the device in connection with the screw cap type of container closure. The anchor cap is seated between the lower jaws of the device, that is to say, in the recesses 10, the over-pressure against the rim of the cap being prevented in the same manner as that described in connection with the screw cap. In the removal of the anchor cap, it is convenient, after the clamping engagement has been effected, to remove the device from its bracket and, by a lateral tilting of the entire structure, the cap may be removed and replaced. Obviously, the removal of the anchor cap may be efifected while the device is in place in the bracket, if desired, but, in practice, it has been found convenient to remove the device from the bracket in manipulating the anchor caps.

It will also be observed that, by the provision of the plate 13 in connection with the structure, the usual crown cap may be readily removed, so that the device as a whole possesses a wide range of utility in the removal of or the seating of caps for containers of the usual commercial types.

From the foregoing description, it will be un-- derstood that the construction is capable of performing its functions, and that the advantages pointed out inhere in the structure.

I am aware that the invention may be modified in numerous particulars without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. I do not limit myself, therefore, to the structure shown and d scribed, but what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination with a base member, a clamping jaw sup ported by the base, rods extending from and supported by the base, resilient means between the base and said rods, a slide member operatively supported by the rods and movable toward and away from the base, a jaw in the slide member a plate normally movable in one adjustment on the rods, and a manual device carried by the slide and operatively connected with said plate for moving the plate to lock the slide against sliding movement on the rods and to move the rods to place the resilient means under tension.

2. In a device of the class described, the con bination with a base member constructed to be supported in a horizontal position by a bracket, of a pair of parallel rods seated in the base and movable in respect thereto, spring connection be-- tween the rods and the base member, a slide operatively mounted on said rods for longitudinal movement, a locking plate having spaced openings therein seated over said rods and extending transversely of the slide, a restraining member resiliently connecting said plate with the slide at one side of the median line thereof, a cam device operatively supported in the slide, means for manipulating the cam to move the plate to lock the slide against movement on the rods and to move the rods longitudinally in opposition to the springs connecting the same with the base, and opposing jaws supported respectively by the base and said slide.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a base, of a frame connected with the base, a slide supported by the frame and adapted to move thereon toward and away from the base, a plate connected with the frame and with the slide and moving in normal adjustment with the slide, an actuator connected with the slide for changing the angular adjustment of the plate with the slide and thereby locking the slide in respect of the frame, opposed clamping jaws mounted respectively in the base and i slide, and a spring connected with the frame for pressing the plate and slide toward the base when the plate is in normal adjustment.

4. A device of the class described comprising relatively movable jaws, means for closing such 1 jaws to initial engaging position, a resilient member acting upon one and reacting upon the other of said jaws, and means other than said initial closing means to apply tension between the jaws through said resilient member after the jaws have been moved to initial engaging position.

5. A device of the class described comprising a frame, a jaw supported relative to the frame, an opposite jaw slidably mounted on the frame and adapted for movement thereon to a pluraliity of initial engaging positions, means for lockingsaid slidably mounted jaw in such engaging positions, a resilient member acting upon one and reacting upon the other of said jaws, and manually operable clamping means adapted to apply tension between the jaws through said resilient member after the said slidably mounted jaw has been moved to initial engaging position.

6. A device of the class described comprising, a base, a frame, a jaw supported relative to the frame, a jaw movable on the frame, a latching member adjacent to and movable with said movble jaw and adapted to limit the outward movement thereof, a manually operable spreading member interposed between said latching member and its said adjacent jaw, and a resilient member acting upon one and reacting upon the other of the jaws.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with a base member having an engaging jaw supported therein, of a slide member having an engaging jaw supported therein in opposed relation to the first named jaw, a support upon which said slide member is movable relative to the base, a latching member adapted to hold said slide member in a plurality of initial engaging positions, resilient means for holding the jaws in clamped engagement, and clamping means adapted to apply tension between the jaws through said resilient member after the jaws have been moved to initial engaging position.

8. A device of the class described comprising in combination a base member, an engaging jaw in the base member, a slide member, a jaw in said slide member in opposed relation to said first named jaw, a resilient support for said slide member, a latching member for locking the slide member to said resilient support, and manual means for placing said resilient support under tension after the slide member is locked in position.

9. In a device adapted to engage container caps, the combination of a pair of engaging members, a support for the engaging members to support said members in a relatively movable relationship whereby the said members may be contracted and protracted to engage and disengage the container cap, latching means for giving an initial engaging relation to said members, and resilient means operable when the engaging members are in contracted position to move said engaging members under tension toward clamping position,

10. In a device adapted to engage container caps, the combination with a pair of engaging members, of a support for the engaging members, means for moving one of the engaging memhere to initial engaging position, a latching member adapted to secure said member in initial engaging position, resilient means operatively connected with one of said engaging members, and a manual device operable to place said "resilient means under tension when the clamping members are in engaging position.

11. In a device of the class described a base, a clamping jaw supported by the base, rods extending from said base, resilient means supporting the rods in connection with the base, a slide mounted on said rods and movable toward and away from the base, a clamping jaw sup ported by said slide, a latching member associated with the slide and adapted to latch the slide in engaging position, and means for placing the resilient support for said rods under tension and thereby moving the slide toward the base under resilient pressure.

12. In a device of the class described the combination with a base, of a supporting frame, resilient means between the supporting frame and the base, a slide in the supporting frame, opposed jaws supported respectively by said slide and said base, and manual means for locking the slide to the supporting frame and for supplying pressure between the jaws through said resilient means.

13. In a device of the class described a base, a frame, a slide operatively mounted on said frame and movable toward and away from the base, opposed jaws supported respectively by the base and the slide, a spring operatively connected with the frame and with the slide normally tending to" move the slide toward the base, means for latching the slide in initial engaging position, and clamping means for supplying pressure between the slide and the base.

14. A cap-wrench comprising a base, parallel rods supported by the base and extending outwardly therefrom, a jaw holder slidably mounted on said rods, a jaw carried by said holder, a locking plate slidably mounted on said rods, a resilient connection between said locking plate and said jaw holder normally moving said plate toward said jaw holder, an opposing jaw resiliently supported in the base, and an actuator for said locking plate to latch and release the same with and from said rods.

THOMAS A. KILLMAN. 

